Strain-distributing device for vehicles.



WITNESSES mg WM PATENTED FEB.18. 190s.

J. WORTHINGTON.

APPLICATION TILED APR.24,1907.

STRAIN DISTRIBUTINGDEVICE FOR VEHICLES. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET l ATTORNEY;

No. 879,349. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908.

J. WORTHINGTON. STRAIN DISTRIBUTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24,1907.

9. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSEL' INVENTOR I ATTORNE Y! JAMES WORTHINGTON, OF MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN.

STRAIN-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE FPR' VEHICLES.

Specificdtion of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

Application on April 24. 1907. Serial No. 369.924.

T all whom it 'magjroncem:

Be it known that l, Jxnns Won'rruNG'roN, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Manitowoc, county of Manitowoc, and State, of-Hsconsnr, have invented new and useful Improvements in Strain V Distributing Devices for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

hfiy invention relates to improvements in strain distributers i1. itoniobilos.

The object my 1: i to provide a 'form of construction the shocks and jolt-sceused by obstructions will be transmitted through a central distributing point to the pie tform, in e manner to relieve the strains oi" loud inertiaupon the sprin s, and also to provide a structure in which t 1e twisting strains due to inequalities of the roadway will benvoided. i

In the .iollowing descri )tion reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side View of a vehicle em bodying my invention. The driving connections being omitted. Fig. 2 is a horizont'al sectione-lview of the central connecting member showing the gear supporting block in cross section.

Like parts are id e'ntified by the same reference characters in both "iews.

1 are the vehicle wheels, 2 and 3 the axle hers, 4. the springs, and 5 the spring supported piutf'orin, sli of which may be of any ordinal constrijiction. The platform is provniied with a centrally dis *osed depending block it having outwen ly projecting trunnions 7', upon which are mounted a set of mutually intermeshing bevel geer wheels- 8, 9, 10, and '1 A strut rod 12 extends from one of the side gear wheels below the axis to the nxle bars 2 and another strut rod 3 extends from above the axis'in the opposiie direction to the platform. 5. The ot er side gear wheel is connected by e strut rod 14, below its axis, with the other axle bar 3, and by a strut rod 15, above its axis, with the platform 5. The strut rods 18 and are preferably connected with the platform above the axle bars 2 and 3, respectively, or near the springs. The strut rods are irefcrul'ily connected with the grain wheels by crank pins 18. With this construction, it obvious that nv sudden shock to a wheel is trensmitted through the strut rod to the gee-ring and distributed, the geer being free to rot-etc end the intermediate.

gears 9 and 11 transmitting motion from will be transmitted throng either side gear Wheel to the oth r. 111.8, similar manner the strains of load inertia, instead of being exerted u oh the springs,

ii'the strut rods to the axle bars. The vertical movement of the springs atone endof the vehicle is also transmitted and distributed to the springs at the other end whereby each spring. cooperates with the others. A push upon one rod is distributed and exerted as u pull upon the other three, and a pull on one is dis jtributed as. a push in three of the rods. The front and rear axles are also connected by the reach rod 1.9, but all of the mo vemen tsare permissible by reason of'the vertical movementin the springs. The norinal positions of the crank pins 18 are preferably on redial lines extendi or at an angle of. about from a. vertical-line through the axis of the gear heel. i

Having thus described my invention, whet I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, i

1. In a, vehicle, the combination of the axle bars and a s ring supported platform, of a, set of intermes 'ng gear Wheels connected with the central port on of the platform, and strut rods each pivotally connected. with one of the gears at a point vertically offset from the axis of ear rotation, said gears being errsnged'to distribute strains from any one of the strut rods to each of the others, some of said strut rods being cdnnected with the platform.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of the axle bars and a spring supported pletform, of a set of intermeshing gear Wheels connected with the central portion of the platform, and strut rods connected with some of the gears, said gears being arranged to distribute strains on any one of the strut rods to each of the others,-some of said strut rods being connected with the axle bars and others with the spring supported platform.

3. In a vehicle, the combination with axle bars and a spring supported platform, of a set of intermes ring gear Wheels connected with the control portionv of the platform, strut axle bars being connected with. the gear Wheel1Q .lhi0pp0sitejside of the horizontal I axial plane from those leading to the platform.

'4. In a vehicle, the combination with axle bars and a s ring supported platform, of a set .with the gear wheels, and those leading to the axle bars being connected with the gear wheels on the opposite side of the horizontal axial plane from those leading to the platform and in radial linesnormally extending at an angle to suchplane.

5 In a vehicle, the combination with axle bars and a s ring supported latf'orm, of a set of strut-r0 s leadin from t e axle bars and the end portions 0 the platform "inwardly and converginglp toward a central space underneath the p atform, and motion transmitting gearing, supported by the platform, for distributing the energy exerted through one of the rods to all the others.

6. In a vehicle, the combination with axle bars and a spring supported latform, of a set of strut rods leadin from t the end portions of t e platform inwardly and conver ingly toward a central space underneath t e platform, and motion transmitting gearing, su ported by the platform, for distributing t e energy exerted through one of the rods to all the others in an opposite direction relatively to said mechanism.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

, JAMES VVORTHINGTON. Witnesses: f

I R. S. NASH,

PnARL SMART.

e axle bars and 

